Safety lighter for gas stove burners



Oct. 8, 1929. E. A. FINN sAFETY LIGHTER Fon GAS s'rovE BURNERS Filed Feb. 25, 1928 2 Sheecs--Sheerl 1 IT rl p1 NVENTOR E11' j, Ik@

` ATTORNEY fOct. 8, 1929. E. A. FINN SAFETY LIGHTER FOR GAS STOV BURNERS Filed Feb. 25, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -mn WN l INVENTOR ,Z'Zf'i fnn.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 8, 1929 i PATENT OFFICE ELI A. Finn, F NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY LIGHTER FOR GAS-STOVE BURNERS Application led February 25, 1928. Serial No. 256,983.

My invention relates to the art of stoves and particularly to those employing gas burners. Heretofore in this art and more particularly that branch of it involving cooking s toves having' a plurality of gas burners with separate valves for controlling the flow of gas from a header or main pipe tothe individual burners, it hasV been found that these gas valves frequently work loose and turn very easily. Children and others have been known to turn the valves either through mischief or accident thus resulting in the establishment of the flow of gas whose valve has been turned on, which flow of gas if not ignited immediately passes into the atmosphere and sometimes results in asphyXiation.

My invention therefore has for an object to provide each burner unit and its control valve with associated instrumentalities, in-

cluding a mechanical spark-igniter, of such character that when the gas valve on the particular burner is being turned a distance sulfi-y cient to permit flow of gas, the spark-igniter will automatically be caused to act for the production of sparks during the turning of thev burner through about one-half or three quarters of its arc fromv the closed to the fully opened position.

, Further, it is an ob] ect to provided a device of the character stated of a simple and Vinexpensive structure which can be mountedv on gas burners and stoves of various types without the necessity of redesigning any of the parts thereof.

Again it is an object to provide a device of the kind referred to whereby replacement of the sparking elements can be effected easily and conveniently without removing the apparatus from the burner. n Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter. y

Tothe attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, my invention consists in the novel details of construction, andin the combination, connection and arrangement of-parts, Vhereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in the claims. v` K Y 1n the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of my invention as 50 applied to a gas stove burner, the burner itself together with its mixing tube being shown, for convenience of illustration, in dotted lines, and all parts being shown in the normal or inoperative position.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the position of the parts when the burner valve has been partially opened.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the invention per se.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on the -line 4 4 of Figure 1. l

Figure 5 is a detail section on the line .5#5 of Figure 4.

v Figure 6 is a detail section of the latcliing device. n

In the drawings in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, 1 represents the mixing pipe of the gas burner 2, and .3 indicates the gas valve for control: ling the supply of fuel to the mixing pipe and burner.

My apparatus comprises a spark-igniter unit and a means for operating the same automatically from the gas valve. The sparkigniter unit comprises a fixed member 4 having means 5 through which it can be fastened to the underside ofthe burner 2. rFhe iXed member 4 is also provided with a holder portion 6 having a chamber for the reception ofl a sparking element 7 (flint, carborundum or other suitable pyrophoric substance) andthe reception of a tension spring 8 and an adjusting screw plug 9. 11 is a shaft ournalled in a suitable bearing in the fixed member 4 and having' a squared portion 15 on which a gear 12, a washer 18, and an igniter wheel or abrader 14 are mounted to turn with the shaft. These parts are held in place by means of washers 16 and holding nuts 17 as best shown in Figure 5.

rlhe igniter unit also includes a rack bar 18, the rack portion of which is held in mesh with the gear 12, the bar 18 being guided in suitable guides 19 on thebar .4 and a spring 2O is provided connecting the parts 4 and 18 to move the rackV bar 18 to its-returned position (i. e. to move it in one direction). y

vA link 21 is pivoted to each of the bars 4 and 18 and has a linger 22 for a purpose pres* ently made clear, the link 21 being pivoted at v22 there is pivotally mounted a i'ine'er 29 the points 23 and 24 to the bars 4 and 13 rcspectively.

The operating unit includes a support 25 of suitable configuration and provided with a guideway 26 for the reception of the slide bar 27, la spring 28 beingv provided to move the slide bar in one direction. @n the end of the slide bar 27 which is ad] acont the finger the mounting beine' such that the finger may move freely in one direction against the tension, however, of a spring 31. The finger 29 has a roller 30 to operatively engage the finger 22 as will later more Clearly appear. A stop 32 limits the movement of the linger 29 under the influence of the spring 31.

A second finger 33 is rigidly mounted on the other end of the bar 27 and cooperates with a pawl 36 that is carried by a projection 34 from the gas valve 3, the projection 3a having` a socket 35 in which the spring pressed pawl 36 is mounted. rlfhe pawl 36 is so designed that it will engage the finger 33 move the slide bar 27 in one direction but wiil pass over that finger 33 when the gas valve is being closed.

The burner 2 is provided with the usual drill holes 38 through which the gai-icons mixture issues and in order to insure i ion et the gas issuing from those drill holes 38 set ofl auxiliary drill holes 39 may be provided leading into the hollow center of the burne and arranged to project a gas stream in close proximity to the point of sparking of the igniter, i. e., the point where the sparking eiement 7 contacts the igniter wheel 11i.

In operating my apparatus it will be seen that as the burner valve 3 is being turned from the closed to the open position the pawl l36 will engage the finger 33 and pull the slide bar 27 outwardly, thereby causing the roller 30 to engage the finger 22 and rock the saine on its pivot 23, thereby causing it to pull the rack bar 18 outwardly and in turn imparta rotational movement to the igniter wheel. The friction set up between thev igniter wheel 14 and the sparking element 7 causes the production'of a succession of sparks at the points of Contact which instantly ignites the issuing from the burner and eliminates all danger of escape of unburned gases and the results consequent thereon.

lihile I have described and illustrated one Yembodiment of my invention it is to be underburner; mechanical means associated with said opening for generating sparks to ignite gases issuing from said burner, means to operate said mechanical means, said operating v nieans'including a device associated with said gas valve for effecting operation of said operating means upon turning on said valve.

2. rlhe combination with a gas burner having an opening through the same and its gas controlling valve; of a spark generating unit mounted in proximity to said burner, andan operating unit mounted in proximity to bothV said valve and said generating unit and associated with the same whereby upon opening said valve said operating unit will be moved to operate said generating unit, said generating unit comprising a stationary body having a holder, a spark-producing substance carried in said holder, a rotary spark-producing element mounted on said stationary body in cooperation with said spark-producingV substance and said opening, and a reciprocating bar associated with said'rotary element and with said operating unit for imparting rota- Y tion to said rotary element. V

3. The combination with a gas burner and its gas controlling valve; of a spark generating unit ii'io'unted in proximity to said burner, and an operating unit mounted in proximity to both said valve and said generating unit and associated with the same whereby upon opening said valve said operating unit will 1 be moved to operate said generating unit, said generating unit comprising a stationary body having a holder, a spark-producing substance carried in said holder, a rotary spark-producrand an operating unit mounted in proximity to both said valve and said generating unit and associated with the samel whereby upon opening said valve said operating Vunit will be moved to operate said generating unit, said generating unit comprising a stationary body Y having a holder, a spark-producing substance carried in said holder, a rotary spark-producing element mounted on said stationary body in cooperation with said spark-producing substance, and a reciprocating bar associated with said rotary element and with said operating unit for imparting rotation to said rotary element, and said operating unit comprisng a fixed body and a slide bar, a finger l on said slide bar, and a member carried by .said burner to cooperate with said finger, and

an operative connection between said units,

said operative connection comprising a onef way-hinged linger on said slide bar, and a member on said reciprocating bar to be engaged by said finger.

5. In ignition apparatus for a gas burner having an opening through the same, and a g'as valve controlling passage of gas to the burner; mechanical means associated with said opening and comprising spark-producing elements for igniting the gases issuing from said burner at said opening, reciprocable means for operating said spark-producing elements, means mounting said reciprocable means on the burner beneath the same, means to operate said reciprocable means, said means to operate comprising a reciprocating element, yieldable members connecting said reciprocating element and said reciprocable operating means, springs, for moving said reciprocable operating means and said reciprocating element in one direction and means carried by said reciprocating element and engaged by said valve for moving said reciprocat-ing element and reciprocable operating means in one direction against the tension of `the springs.

6. In ignition apparatus for a gas burner having an opening through the same and a gas valve controlling the passage of gas to the burner; two distinct mechanical units, one of said units comprising a support secured beneath the burner and carrying a pyrophoric element and an abrader cooperating therewith upon the opening of the burner to ignite gases issuing from the burner, and a reciprocable operating rod for said abrader, a lever device mounted on the support of said unit and connected with said operating rod for effecting reciprocation of said rod in one direction, other means for effecting reciprocation of said rod in the opposite direction; the other unit comprising a support, a reciprocable rod mounted in said support, a member on said rod to engage said lever of said first mentioned unit, a spring to move said reciprocable rod of the second unit in one direction, said reciprocable rod of the second unit having means cooperating with said gas valve whereby upon opening said gas valve said reciprocable rod of the second unit will be moved to cause operation of said abrader, substantially as shown and described.

ELI A. FINN. 

